Iowa's Even Brauns Explains His Struggle After Transferring To Hawkeyes

Even Brauns has not been able to contribute much to the Iowa Hawkeyes ever since transferring from Belmont, and that can be frustrating for a redshirt senior.

Feb 19, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Even Brauns (0) reacts during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

It was a tough loss against Oregon for the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night, but it was perhaps even tougher for redshirt senior forward Even Brauns, who finally got a chance to make an impact.

The Hawkeyes lost, 80-78, despite having two looks at the basket to at least tie or win the game, including a layup. Lost in the drama and heartbreak of the loss to Oregon was a standout game for Brauns, though, who had the best game of his career with the Hawkeyes.

Brauns transferred to Iowa City before the 2023-24 season after three productive seasons at Belmont. He started 29-of-30 games for the Bruins in 2022-23, and averaged 7.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while leading the team in shooting percentage from the floor.

His transfer to Iowa was a homecoming as he was a four-year letterwinner at Iowa City West High School. Brauns played in just a total of 63 minutes in 2023-24 for the Hawkeyes, though, and he scored just 10 points in his inaugural season in Iowa City.

This season, Brauns has been a deep bench player for head coach Fran McCaffery, but he got his shot in the second half against Oregon and he took it. He was subbed in at 14:40 in the second half and didn't leave the game, finishing with 15 points, which included four-for-four shooting from the floor. He also made seven of nine free throws and gave Iowa a major boost in the second half.

That's a boost he's undoubtedly always known he could give the Hawkeyes, which has made his run at Iowa somewhat frustrating.

“It's been hard to keep confidence, honestly,” Brauns said, referencing his lack of playing time before the Oregon game, according to Chad Leistikow of Hawk Central. “All credit to my teammates and the coaches, like they really kept me in it."

The big frustration for Brauns has been going from his playing time at Belmont to what he's gotten at Iowa. Though he has struggled emotionally, to his credit, he never gave up on himself.

“It's hard going from playing 25 minutes a game to playing two. You know? But I’m just thankful a lot of people believe in me," he said. "I was never going to quit. I was going to show up every day, ready to go.”

Brauns provided a major boost for McCaffery's team and perhaps that will lead to him seeing more playing time in the final five games of the regular season. The Hawkeyes fell to 14-12 (5-10 Big Ten) with the loss, so they can use all the help they can get.